How to do a Muscle Up
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Muscle Up
Rings
Instructions for Proper Form
Muscle Ups are one of the most challenging variations of the Pull Up. This exercise has an extremely high barrier to entry, requiring full body strength and control to perform even a single rep. For those who can perform this exercise for a full set, it’s a great addition to any workout, and for those who are still working towards performing these, it's an excellent goal to help measure progress beyond simply weight moved.
- Grab ahold of the bar with your palms facing away from your body and your hands in a false grip where your thumbs do not wrap around the bar.
- With your arms extended, perform a pull up by pulling your elbows down to the backside of your ribcage to get your chest up over the bar.
- When you are at the top of the pull up, quickly bring your chest forward to get up and over the bar while bringing your elbows in towards your armpits.
- Complete the exercise by extending your elbows up over the bar before lowering and pushing yourself away from the bar to return to the starting position.
Common Form Mistakes
Too Soon
Struggling is a great way to make progress. However, there’s no shame in using an assisted variation while you develop the strength and control to perform this exercise. If you’re not able to do your reps, you’ll likely get more out of one of the assisted variations of this exercise.
Sets & Reps Calculator
Average Muscle Up standards by male, female, gender, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
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- intermediate4sets7reps9reps
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Alternative Exercises to Muscle Up
1. Pull Up
93.2 mSCORESWAPPED 127 TIMESPull Ups are compound, bodyweight exercise that primarily target the back, but also hits the shoulders and biceps. While this exercise does have a decently high barrier to entry, it can be easily adapted to match your current conditioning with weighted or assisted variations. This is an excellent exercise for building functional strength and body control.
- Intermediate
- Back
- Pull Up Bar
2. Lat Pulldown
100 mSCORESWAPPED 87 TIMESThis compound exercise primarily targets the back, but also hits the shoulders and biceps. The movement itself is based on a Pull Up, however, by locking your legs into place, you can add significantly more stability to the movement making it easier to complete a rep, as well as getting control over the resistance. This exercise can be easily adapted to meet your needs with different handles.
- Beginner
- Back
- Lat Pulldown
3. Dumbbell Row
99.9 mSCORESWAPPED 79 TIMESThis compound movement primarily targets the back, but also hits the shoulders and biceps, as well as requiring some core activation for stability. By bracing yourself on the flat bench, you can position your torso parallel to the ground, without needing specific equipment. This is a great exercise with or without limited equipment, and a staple in many back workouts.
4. Dumbbell Bent Over Row
94.4 mSCORESWAPPED 73 TIMESDumbbell Bent Over Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back, but also hits biceps. The use of dumbbells helps prevent compensating for any discrepancies in strength between sides, as well as adds more instability to the movement compared to equipment like barbells. This can be a great addition to any back workout for building muscle mass and strength.
5. Chin Up
88.4 mSCORESWAPPED 71 TIMESChin Ups are a compound, bodyweight exercise that primarily targets your back, but also hits your biceps. It’s similar to a Pull Up, but uses an underhand grip. This is a great exercise for getting more comfortable on a pull up bar, and is great for building strength, and muscle mass.
- Intermediate
- Back
- Pull Up Bar
6. Bar Muscle Up
51.6 mSCORESWAPPED 61 TIMESSimilar to the standard Muscle Up, the Bar Muscle Up is performed on a pull-up bar and requires pulling oneself up from a hanging position and transitioning into a dip. It focuses on upper body strength, particularly in the shoulders, arms, and back, demanding high levels of power and technique. This variation is often used in gymnastics and cross-training workouts.
- Advanced
- Back
- Pull Up Bar
7. Ring Row
24.6 mSCORESWAPPED 58 TIMESRing Rows are a more difficult variation of an Inverted Row. Similar to Inverted Row, this is a compound, bodyweight movement that primarily targets your back. Unlike the simpler variation, the use of rings adds significantly more instability to the movement. You can easily adjust the resistance of this exercise by moving your feet closer or further from the anchor point.
- Intermediate
- Back
- Rings
8. Bent Over Barbell Row
97.1 mSCORESWAPPED 52 TIMESBent Over Barbell row is a compound movement that primarily targets your back, but also hits your shoulders, traps, and biceps. The use of a barbell adds more stability to this movement compared to something like dumbbells which can help you focus on exerting strength rather than stabilizing the movement. It’s a great exercise for building strength, and can be a way to start learning more advanced exercises like Olympic Lifts.
9. Australian Chin Up
60.3 mSCORESWAPPED 50 TIMESAustralian Chin Up is a bodyweight exercise that primarily targets the back, biceps, and shoulders. This compound movement is performed from an inclined, horizontal position using a low bar, which makes it easier than standard Chin Ups. The inclined position adds stability, allowing you to focus on muscle engagement and form. It's a great exercise for building strength to progress towards full Chin Ups.
10. Dumbbell Bent Over Reverse Fly
81.9 mSCORESWAPPED 43 TIMESDumbbell Bent Over Reverse Fly is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the posterior deltoids (back of the shoulder). The use of dumbbells helps prevent compensating for strength discrepancies between sides. Leaning forward during the exercise allows for better isolation of the targeted shoulder muscles while also recruiting some muscle activation in the upper back.